


Shirts

by federweisser



Category: Grand Theft Auto IV
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Friendship, This Is Not A Date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24578359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/federweisser/pseuds/federweisser
Summary: On one of their typical non-dates, Niko remembers why he likes Kate so much.
Relationships: Niko Bellic & Kate McReary
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Shirts

**Author's Note:**

> I completely forgot about this little one-shot I wrote two years ago until I found it on my laptop this morning, so here it is. Feel free to comment!
> 
> Rated T for swearing.

It was only her first glass of wine and Kate was already a bit drunk, which was unusual for her. Niko could tell by the way she spoke more slowly than usual and rested her forehead in her palm from being light-headed. A few strands of red hair were hanging down the side of her face and she looked tired in the dim light of Steinway Beer Garden. As she kept ranting about her family, she got more and more enraged, and the more enraged she got, the whiter her knuckles turned from clutching the almost empty wine glass so tightly.

As Kate went on with her tirade, Niko nodded politely, sipping on his second beer. At this point, he was having trouble focusing on what she was saying because he was starting to get tipsy. Usually, two beers were not enough to affect his ability to concentrate this much, but Kate’s shirt had slid off her shoulder a while ago, revealing a black bra strap. Niko was respectful enough to not constantly stare at it, but it was still a very distracting view, even from the corners of his eyes. Appreciating the fact that Packie was not here right now, he carefully placed his beer back on the shabby wooden table.

“I’m so tired of being too scared to open the fridge just because there might be a dead body falling out again. Did I mention that actually happened last week?”

In fact, this was the second time she mentioned it this evening and Niko knew exactly which dead body she was talking about because he had taken the poor guy’s clothes and motorcycle to cause trouble between the Albanian Mob and the Ancelottis, but he was not going to mention that. Kate did not expect him to talk during her rant, anyway.

“I almost had a heart attack. Gerry had to jam the body back in.”

Kate’s voice was starting to get louder.

“I made him promise never to do that again, but that wouldn’t be the first promise to be broken by one of my brothers, am I right?”

She laughed bitterly as if she had made a joke and finished her wine, forcefully slamming the empty glass back on the table. Niko was surprised it didn’t shatter into pieces.

“Hey, get a fucking grip and shut up, woman!” a middle-aged man in the booth behind them shouted, noticeably annoyed.

Narrowing her eyes, Kate turned around to look at the guy.

“Yeah? Why don’t you come over and make me, asshole?” she snarled.

Judging from his dumbfounded expression, the man had not expected a retort. His face went bright red and he turned his back on Kate as his friends roared with laughter. 

Niko felt a sense of pride in her. While they disagreed on a lot of things, he deeply admired Kate for her confidence. She certainly was not afraid to speak her mind, and despite her rather petite frame, she could be quite intimidating when she was irritated. He could not suppress a blissful smile.

Kate turned back around and noticed his facial expression.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Huh?” was all he could say. He had not been paying attention, and her green eyes staring at him combined with two beers did not exactly make it easy to concentrate. Kate frowned.

“I just spilled my guts about my horrible family and you’re beaming at me like you won the lottery.”

“Oh, well…” Niko tried to think of something appropriate to say.

“It’s just… I’m glad we got to do something together again. It’s been a while since we last went out.”

_On a date,_ he almost said, but he managed to bite it back.

It was a rather pathetic excuse, even though he meant it. Niko had been too busy running errands for the Mob to hang out with friends lately. And although he had occasionally seen Kate at the McReary residence while discussing plans with Gerald or Packie, the last time they had gotten to do something together, just the two of them, had been a while ago. Still, this was not the reason why he had to smile, and under normal circumstances, Kate probably would have seen through his lie. But luckily for him, that glass of wine was impairing her ability to think critically. She stared at the table as she pondered what he had just said, then raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“You’re right. It’s been, like, almost a month.”

She gave a warm smile and leaned back onto the bench. He could not help but glance at her still exposed white shoulder and hated himself for it.

“I missed these dates, too,” Kate admitted. “You’re the only person I can really talk to without feeling like I’m being judged.”

Niko lifted one eyebrow in feigned surprise and smirked at her.

“So this is a _date_ now?”

Kate rolled her eyes in annoyance and let out a sigh of exasperation, but her smile did not go unnoticed.

“Oh, shut up, you prick. You know exactly what I meant.”

A momentary silence ensued, and Kate turned her head to look out of the window; not like there was much to see, though, as it was already dark out. Niko proceeded to sip on his beer to keep himself busy, watching her as she gazed dreamily at the reflections in the window. _She looks so pretty,_ he thought, and after a while, he couldn’t take it anymore, he finally had to say something about that shirt.

“Your shirt… it slipped,” he said, gesturing toward her shoulder. Kate turned to look at him before following his gaze.

“Oh. Thanks.” She tugged at the fabric to move it back into place. Even in the dim light, Niko could see her face redden slightly, and he felt like an idiot for not telling her sooner.

“No problem,” he said, and silence ensued between them once more.

After a while of staring into her empty wine glass, Kate got up and out of the booth.

“I think I’m gonna get more wine. Wait… no, actually, I might go for whiskey instead.”

“Whiskey?” Niko said. “Are you sure about that?”

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, whiskey,” she repeated slowly. “What’s wrong with that?”

Niko smirked at her. “Have you never heard the expression ‘wine before liquor makes you sicker’?”

Kate scoffed. “Not me. I’m Irish.”


End file.
